Holy Matrimony

Through the Sacrament of Matrimony a community of love is formed. For Catholics, marriage is not merely a civil contract; it is a covenant of life and love between a man and a woman and God. If both are baptized, the marriage is a sacrament; a symbol of unity and fidelity between Christ and the Church. A sacramental marriage is a means of grace, giving strength to husband and wife to live their commitment and help each other on the path to holiness.

Learn more about what Catholics believe about marriage and how you might be able to make your own marriage stronger at foryourmarriage.org.

Preparation for Holy Matrimony

Congratulations!You're engaged! And now begins a time of more immediate preparations, not only for a wedding day, but for something that is so much more: a life-long, faithful, and fruitful marriage!

The sacred covenant in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is a symbol of the union between Christ and his Church; therefore, marital love must be permanent, life-giving, and freely shared. The different components of the marriage preparation process strives to help you and your future marriage to radiate Christ's unselfish love and grow ever closer to God and to one another. Those components include:

(1) Spiritual Preparation, directed by the priest, including:

discussions about the theology of marriage and your relationship,taking an inventory for engaged couples, called FOCCUS, andcompleting the required marriage documents.

(3) Meetings with a Sponsor Couple

where the engaged couple will meet with a married couple who is trained to assist them in preparing for marriage by helping the couple reflect upon the realities of married life; and

(4) Planning the Wedding Liturgy with the priest and Director of Music & Liturgy.

where the priest will direct the engaged couple to prayerfully consider the meaning of the different components of the marriage rite, such as the consent and the readings, and the Director of Music and Liturgy will help the couple navigate the different options regarding the sacred music.

Planning a Catholic Wedding

It's time for a wedding!Couples planning a Catholic wedding will be expected to discuss the liturgy with the priest and/or deacon who will be celebrating the wedding, as well as to meet with the Director of Music & Liturgy to plan and approve the ceremony's music.

Below are a few documents that couples should complete as part of their preparations, as well as a range of resources that should assist in making those decisions. It is always important that couples first speak with the priest, as well as the Director of Music & Liturgy, before making any arrangements, and addressing any and all questions and concerns firstly to them. Blessings on all the planning!

Marriage Enrichment

There are many opportunities throughout the Archdiocese of Dubuque for couples who are currently married to enrich their relationship and so better their marriage and their family life through a program called Marriage Encounter. These experiences are designed to help married couples communicate more intimately with one another in order to deepen and enrich their love for one another. Be sure to check out those opportunities and more at http://www.dbqarch.org/offices/family-life/ministry-to-marriage/.

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning (or NFP) is a method of family planning through a couples' knowledge of their natural body signs of fertility and infertility. Couples learn to observe, record, and interpret these signs with a very high degree of accuracy and so can be very effective at either achieving or postponing a pregnancy. It is a a natural, safe and inexpensive method that is highly reliable. It is also easy to learn and supports the total marriage of a couple: both their family, as well their relationship, improving communication and supporting a couple's intimacy.

Two new sets of Natural Family Planning (NFP) classes have been scheduled locally through the Couple to Couple League for 2017. The first will start on March 27th, and the second will start on August 21st. Both will be hosted at the home of Eben and Lindsey Krapfl, near Peosta.